Improvement in clothes-pounders



, 0. M. REED. Clothes-Founder.

No. 214,524. Patented April 22,1879.

" *UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES M. REED, OF MOUNT PLEASANT, VISCONSIN.

IMPROVEMENT IN CLOTHES-POUNDERS.v

Specifica-tion forming part of Letters Patent No. 214,524, dated April 22, 1879; application filed March 14, 1879.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES M. REED, of Mount Pleasant, in the county of Racine and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clothes-Pounders; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part o this specication.

Figure l is a perspective View. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section, and Fig. 3 is a transverse cross-section.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are denoted by like letters of reference.

This invention relates to that class of washing-machines which are usually denominated clothes-pounders, and it consists in certain improvements in the construction of the same, which will be hereinafter fully described, and particularly poi-nted out in the claim.

In the drawings, A represents the head or bowl, which is cylindrical in shape, sloping toward the handle B, which may be of any suitable length, so as to enable the device to be used either in a barrel or in an ordinary wash-tub. The head or bowl may be made of wood. It has a suitable opening for the handle, made by perforatin g it centrall y and lon gitudinally with a bit or auger, as shown at C. The body of the bowl is provided with four recesses, D D E E, formed by boring withl an auger, and all communicating with the central perforation, as shown in Fig. 3, but separated from each other by the flanges F F, the lower portions of which, however, are cut off and trimmed or smoothed, as is also the rim of the bowl, in order not to injure the clothes.

The recesses D D, which are opposite to each other, are deeper than E E, and are provided each with a ap of rubber cloth or similar material, G, secured near the rim of the bowl, and having its upper end loose, thus forming a Valve, which covers a perforation, H, penetrating the side of the bowl.

The operation of my invention will be readily understood from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings hereto annexed.

By forcing the pounder down against the clothes the air contained in the bowl is forced out through the clothes and water. By raising the pounder the valves are opened and air admitted into the bowl. The anges F, in addition to protecting the valves and insuring their free operation by preventing the clothes from entering and choking lthe bowl, also materially assist in rubbing and cleansing the clothes.

My improved clothes-pounder may be made of other material than wood-such as tin or metal-the construction and operation beingy substantially the same.

Having thus described my invention, Iclajm and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the my own I have hereto affixed my signature in l presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES M. REED. Witnesses:

W. T, VAN PELT, H. V. VAN PELT. 

